This invention relates to a correction fluid applicator, in pen form, for conveniently and precisely applying a pigmented correction fluid in limited or sustained amounts.
Correction fluids have been used in offices and elsewhere for many years to cover hand-written and typewritten errors on paper and, as well, to generally touch-up the appearance of paperwork. Typically, such fluids contain a pigment matching the color of the paper on which the correction is to be made and a volatile fluid that carries the pigment and is designed to evaporate on the paper so as to leave a coating of the pigment over the error which obscures the error.
Correction fluids are most often sold in a bottle having a cap with a brush on the end of a stem extended into the bottle. The correction fluid is brushed onto the error. Due to the volatile nature of the fluid, if the bottle is left open, or the brush laid aside, the fluid in the bottle and on the brush will evaporate. Partial or total fluid evaporation may occur if the bottle is not tightly sealed. Correction fluids provided in bottles, moreover, are susceptible to spills. In addition, difficulty may be experienced when it is necessary to precisely apply a tiny amount of correction fluid, for example, on a single typewritten letter, due to the width of the brush. Pigment residue dried on the brush, or disorientation of the fibers of the brush that may result from normal wear, or excessive pressure, also makes it difficult to precisely apply the correction fluid. As the brush can carry only a limited quantity of fluid, it is necessary to repeatedly dip the brush into the fluid in the bottle when correcting larger errors. In such cases, it is difficult to assure the application of an even thickness of coating, time is wasted each time the brush is removed from the paper, and there is an increased possibility of accidental spills or mis-application of the brush as it is returned to the paper.
Various correction fluid pens have been marketed or suggested which are designed to resolve some of the aforementioned problems. One pen form includes a brush within a tube. The tube is tilted to allow the brush to slide out of the tube and inverted to retract the brush. It has been found, however, that this pen form has many of the same infirmities of the bottle and brush applicators. Moreover, drying of the fluid on the brush or disorientation of the brush fibers interferes with the sliding motion of the brush. This type of applicator has not been capable of evenly applying sustained amounts of correction fluid to larger errors.
A pen-like applicator for applying correction fluid, including spring-loaded ball or tip, has been suggested. The applicator is secured to the housing in fluid communication with the correction fluid. The applicator is typically spring-loaded so that the applicator is biased to close a discharge orifice when the pen is not in use. In operation, pressure applied to the ball tip causes the ball to retract and thereby permits flow to occur.
Nevertheless, spring-loaded correction fluid pens on the market have been found to be deficient in failing to provide means for preventing or dealing with the tendency of the correction fluid to cake and clog the discharge orifice, or lacking in means to assure a sustained, even flow of correction fluid, e.g., when an entire paragraph is to be corrected.